


Alive

by smolalienbee



Series: Elijah Kamski's demons [19]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Canon Related, Canon Universe, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Domestic Fluff, Elijah and Nine are now Andersons too, Family, Fear, Feelings, Fluffy Ending, Good Dog Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), Good Elijah Kamski, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, Sensory Overload, Talking, and everyone is soft, they're one happy family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 20:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17311517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolalienbee/pseuds/smolalienbee
Summary: Elijah Kamski decides to check up on RK900 and so shows up at the Andersons' household.(continuation to RK900 chapter)





	Alive

**Author's Note:**

> Yaaaay, I'm still alive. I've taken a break from posting during Christmas and the New Year's, even though I actually had this chapter written for a while, I just couldn't sit down to correct it. Lately I've been kinda down in the dumps and haven't had much motivation to actually look at my writing, eh. I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, but there we go anyway, better than just leaving it sitting on my computer forever. This happens a while after Elijah and Connor turned on the RK900 and Nine had been staying with Connor and Hank.

He stood at the doorstep, boring holes into the doorbell with his gaze.

It wasn't Elijah's first time at the Anderson's house, but this time was different, wasn't it?

Sure, he could keep telling himself that he was there just to check on Nine, but that wasn't the truth, not by a long shot.

It was insane, how difficult Connor made it to say no to him.

What was he, sixteen and about to have a dinner with his boyfriend's father?

It sounded silly when he put it that way, but... it certainly felt that way.

He sighed, finally bringing his hand up to ring the bell.

He was actually making an effort – he even dressed a little nicer for this. Well, nicer; a simple suit jacket put over a t-shirt. Certainly a better attire than what he wore around his house. Not that the lieutenant hadn't seen him in just a bathrobe before. The first impression he made on the man was certainly something.

But that was way back, before he even thought he and Connor would ever grow close to each other. Life sure liked to surprise.

The door swung open and Elijah blinked as he was now standing face to face with Nine. Before he could really react to the android's presence, Connor showed up from behind him.

“Hi, Elijah,”

The android was immediately going in for a loose hug. While doing so, Elijah had a chance to take a look at Nine. He was still just as rigid as ever, obviously an unfeeling machine. Kamski knew Connor would've let him know if he woke Nine up; this just confirmed his suspicions.

The only exception were RK900's eyes.

The blues seemed to be more erratic than before, but Elijah didn't have time to really think about it. Connor was already pulling back.

“He's not- I still haven't had the chance to wake him up,” he murmured, noticing Kamski's gaze still directed towards Nine.

“I know, I've noticed,” Elijah assured, looking towards the older android. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he looked away, “So-”

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with himself, now that he was there.

It was all Connor's idea, as per usual. He thought it'd be nice if they could all spend some time together outside of work. That Elijah and Hank didn't have enough time to truly get to know each other; the only times they met was when it was somehow related to their police work or Cyberlife.

Like the first time the lieutenant and the android showed up at Kamski's doorstep.

Elijah knew Anderson had warmed up to him, somehow. Connor told him so, told him that there was no reason to worry. But how could he not be concerned? He wouldn't be surprised if the lieutenant still held a grudge against him, for all the times he caused harm to Connor. Their first meeting, New Jericho, the fight that followed it. All the stress he surely caused to the android and that the lieutenant probably experienced first hand.

After all, Hank was the person Connor went to whenever he needed support.

Elijah tried to shake off the bad feelings as he took off his shoes and proceeded further inside the house.

“Hank? Elijah's here.”

Connor had somehow managed to get far ahead of him and Elijah heard his voice coming from the kitchen.

It was actually the first time Elijah was so deep inside this house. He usually only went into the hall and that was it. Now, he was about to stay for dinner and, most likely, also for the night.

He really shouldn't be feeling so nervous about it. This should be such a trivial matter.

Yet it wasn't.

“Took him long enough to get here,” the lieutenant grumbled quietly, just as Elijah stepped into the kitchen.

“And you're the one saying that?”

Neither of them had noticed him walking in. They had their backs turned to the entrance, both of them standing over the stove.

“What's that supposed to mean, smartass?”

“It's supposed to mean that you always get everywhere late, Hank.”

“...shut it, Con, I don't need you calling me out on it.”

Elijah listened in to their bickering without making his presence known. It was interesting, seeing the two interact when they didn't think anyone was watching.

It was Sumo who gave him away. The dog was the first one to notice him standing there and he let out a small bark, getting up to greet the visitor. Hank turned his head at the noises, noticing Kamski there.

“Oh, there you are,” he hummed.

“Yes. Hello, lieutenant,” Elijah greeted him quite mechanically, at the same time reaching out to pet Sumo with one hand.

He didn't notice Anderson rolling his eyes at him. The man turned around and stepped closer.

“Jesus, I already got Connor to stop 'lieutenanting' me a long time ago, you shouldn't start with it again. It's Hank,” he extended his hand towards him.

Elijah stared blankly at it, slowly straightening up and letting go of Sumo. His eyes flickered between the hand and the lieutenant's face.

“I believe we've already met-” he began, but quickly got cut off by the older man.

“Don't you dare remind me of our first meeting. Would rather not remember that.”

That left Kamski at a loss of words and he just stood there, frozen. That was, until Anderson got impatient and reached out to take his hand himself, shaking it rather forcefully.

“It's nice to meet you, kid,” he hummed, raising a brow while still holding Elijah's hand.

“Oh- uh-” Elijah was finally brought out of his stupor and he gave a curt nod. “Right. Yes. It's nice to meet you, Hank,” he repeated the man's words.

The lieutenant just shook his head, a smirk playing in the corners of his mouth. He let go of Kamski's hand and turned to head back to the stove.

Elijah was left dumbfounded and, quite frankly, embarrassed. Looking down at the hand that Hank was just holding in his.

The tides had completely turned, hadn't they?

He relaxed when he felt Connor placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up – the android didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes said it all. It would be alright. Hank already welcomed him into the house.

The family.

The whole ordeal felt so strangely domestic.

It didn't take long before they sat down at the table to eat. Or rather, Hank and Elijah ate while Connor joined them purely for the company. Meanwhile, Nine just stood nearby, which visibly frustrated Anderson. The man couldn't ignore the android no matter how hard he tried. At first it wasn't that noticeable – he glanced over at him, shifted in his chair. It was just because Elijah was watching so closely that he noticed it at all.

But eventually, Hank got fed up with it.

“For fuck's sake, I can't take it anymore,” he grumbled, placing his fork down loudly, turning his head to look over at Nine.

The android stared back at him. His LED switched to yellow at Hank's sudden outburst.

Elijah's gaze flickered between the two of them. He might have been there to relax, but this was also a good chance to see how the newer RK was doing. Was it time to wake him up?

“Hank?”

“I get the whole “turning him deviant is dangerous”, but Jesus! He's worse than you, Connor, he's just- staring. All of the damn time.” He complained, frowning as he looked the android in the eyes. The cold, emotionless eyes.

“Has he shown any signs of system instability so far?” Elijah felt this was the best time to bring it up, now that they were on the topic of Nine's state.

“I'm- not sure,” Connor responded slowly, looking at the android as well, “He's... he's changing, but it's... incredibly slow.”

“Yeah, he's nothing like Connor,” Hank spoke up, standing up to take their plates. All while eyeing RK900. “I've seen him petting Sumo, though. The guy thinks he's sneaky about it, but he's really not.”

Nine squinted a little hearing Anderson's words. He looked as if he was about to say something, but in the end, he remained quiet. That small quirk didn't escape Elijah and it piqued his curiosity. He got to his feet and approached the android, tilting his head, observing him the entire time. Hank and Connor stayed quiet, their gazes following after Elijah.

Kamski was reminded of the first time he stood face to face with Connor. The questions that ran through his mind. Was he truly just a machine, or was there something more, something hidden beneath the surface and waiting to get out?

Standing in front of Nine, he had to tilt his head back to look him in the eyes. The blues stared right back at him. Darted across his face.

“You need to wake up, Nine,” he murmured, “You are much more than what they told you.”

The android blinked. There was a hint of distress in his features, his LED briefly blinking red. Just a few seconds, but it was enough to make Elijah raise an eyebrow, still standing close to him.

Nine dropped his eyes, refused to say anything.

“Is he always so quiet?”

“Most of the time, yeah,” Hank responded, “He only really responds when someone's speaking directly to him. He's not much for small talk.”

Elijah hummed quietly, slowly stepping away from the android.

“You should wake him up,” he told Connor without even glancing at him.

“What?”

“I think it's time.”

“Are you sure?”

“No,” Elijah snorted softly, “Of course I'm not sure. But we could never be sure.”

He finally turned to look over at Connor.

The android had his lips pressed together, his brows were furrowed. He didn't seem convinced. Elijah sighed quietly, seeing his expression.

“There'll never be a good time for this, Connor,” he pointed out, quietly.

“Well is it even safe?” Hank cut in before the android even had a chance to say anything. “And what, you want to just do it here?”

“It's safer than if we did it when we first powered Nine on,” he responded, “It's better to do it here, since this is what he's used to, now. He'll feel far more comfortable here than at my house or at Cyberlife's facilities. Or, at least, I hope he will.”

They all went silent, their gazes naturally drifting towards RK900 who just stood there. Didn't move an inch, even though he was on all of their lips.

Elijah truly felt that they couldn't put this off any longer. There was something, something in the corner of Nine's eyes, something that was telling him the android's software was becoming unstable. He was deviating – incredibly slowly, but he was. And they could either wait for when he'd break, completely unexpected, with no warning, or they could ease him into it. Control it.

Neither of those options was good, but it was the only choice they had.

Elijah wanted to see Nine waking up.

He had to be there for it.

“Alright. I'll do it.”

He twisted his body as soon as he heard Connor's voice.

“Okay, hold on, you shouldn't-”

“I'll wake Nine up,” Connor said sternly, not allowing the lieutenenant to finish.

The man seemed exasperated as he looked between the androids and Elijah, but there was no room left to protest. Connor made up his mind, it showed in the way he set his jaw, determined. It was strange how he trusted Elijah's judgement, even when the man himself wasn't sure if he was making the right call.

Kamski nodded slowly.

"Better sit him down for it, then,” he hummed, looking over at Nine.

"Wait, you two are serious about it? You're just gonna do it right now? You're fucking insane,” Hank made an attempted at stoping them.

"We can't keep on putting it off, lie- Hank. We don't know what would happen if we did,”

"You don't know what will happen if you wake him up, either.”

"Do you want him to stay a mere machine?”

At the question, Hank paused, caught off guard by it. His eyes drifted towards the taller android and he frowned as he looked him over. The blue eyes met his briefly, the only sign of conscious thoughts running through Nine's mind.

"No,” Anderson sighed. "But I also don't want either of you to get hurt.”

"I believe we can handle it,” Connor spoke up. "We've handled worse before.”

"...fine. But I'll kick both of your asses if anything goes wrong,” Hank grumbled reluctantly, shaking his head.

Elijah gave a firm nod at that, turning fully towards Nine.

They got the android to the living room. Sat him down on the couch. Neither of the three of them was too eager about going through with it. Nine was a mystery, unpredictable. He was also far too strong, most likely capable of overpowering Connor in a fair fight.

Hank's words kept on ringing in Elijah's ears.

_I don't want either of you to get hurt._

There was a genuine possibility of that happening.

It made him stiffen and eye Nine rather nervously.

They had to do this, they couldn't back down.

Did Connor feel just as nervous about it?

They stood around the couch, delaying it.

"Connor?” Elijah prompted quietly.

The android glanced over at him, but his eyes flickered back to Nine almost immediately.

"...stay back.”

At his murmur, Elijah raised his hand, as if he wanted to reach out towards him. But he didn't, his hand dropping uselessly to his side. Without a word, he gave a small nod and took a few steps back, giving the two androids more space. Hank did the same.

Connor stood in front of Nine. The bigger android was seated down and he stared up at the other with blank eyes. He appeared to be the most composed out of them all and, well, there was a reason for that.

Connor took a step closer. Nine's LED flashed yellow.

There was far more hesitation involved in the android's movements than when he was at the Cyberlife tower, waking up the androids at the end of the revolution. Grasping at straws back then and now, why was he doing it? Out of the kindness of his heart, not to let another one of his kind remain a machine?

They could've easily shut Nine off. Take him apart, use the parts to repair any other android.

But instead, they chose to wake him up.

Connor leaned in and took a hold of Nine's arm. His hand turned white, a flash of honey-colored light.

The whole room went completely silent. Elijah and Hank held their breaths, waiting in anticipation.

What would happen?

The seconds dragged on, until they didn't.

Suddenly, a scream, a screech, a strange mechanical noise that made both humans stumble back and cover their ears.

Red was flashing, reflecting off the nearest surfaces as Nine suddenly stumbled to his feet, pulling his arm out of Connor's grip.

A distressed sound coming out of his voice unit, something between a yell, an alarm, static. He frantically looked around the room, looking for an exit, a way to escape, looking until he found none. He pushed Connor away and backed off, walking into the coffee table and nearly falling over.

The other android was the only one who could handle the loud noises, though he looked just as shocked, eye wide and afraid.

Nine moved in wild movements. Wide strides.

His back hit the wall.

Screeching was just as loud. Terrified. Panicked. Pained.

It was Connor who finally moved towards him. He was the only one who could do something about the situation.

He approached Nine slowly.

He raised his hands up, palms turned towards the android, as if he was approaching an animal, proving that he meant no harm.

Nine made no move to get away, but it was clear it was not a work of trust. It was fear freezing him in the spot, pressed up against the wall.

Connor touched his shoulders with his fingertips, fingers, whole hands. They moved up to Nine's cheek, the androids' skins turning white where they connected.

Red still flashed, bright, unnerving.

Progressively, Nine went quiet. He and Connor stared each other in the eyes and slowly, they slid down to the floor.

Nine pulled his knees up close to his chest. He covered his ears with his hands, closed his eyes, as if he was desperately trying to block out everything around him.

He rocked, back and forth. Back and forth.

Connor hesitantly let go of his face. He looked nearly just as shaken up as Nine, kneeling down on the floor. His hands remained white and they trembled as they hung on his sides.

Suddenly, the whole room was enveloped in a deafening silence.

A soft whimper that broke it.

Sumo appeared from behind Hank. Concerned, he approached the two androids.

Connor was the first one who noticed him, glancing up at the dog but making no move towards him.

The Saint Bernard got closer and closer, until he could push his muzzle into Nine's side. At first, the android didn't react to his presence, but the dog insisted, stubbornly attempted to get his attention.

Nine slowly blinked his eyes open. They darted around for a second before focusing on the canine.

He pulled his hands away from his ears and reached out towards Sumo, pushed his fingers into the fur.

He stroked the fur in repetitive movements. He calmed down, soothed himself with it.

Several sighs could be heard echoing around the living room as they all relaxed, watching Nine and Sumo.

Connor stood up on weak legs and carefully backed away, making sure not to startle Nine again with any unnexpected noises or movements.

Elijah was the first one to stand at his side.

"Connor?” his voice was quiet as he tried to bring the android back to reality. Connor tore his eyes away from Nine and looked at him.

There was fear in those eyes and Elijah was still taken aback by it. He reached towards him, took his hands in his.

The artifical skin was still gone, Connor too distressed to worry about making it appear back.

"Connor.”

"I-” The android spoke up, his voice laced with fear, "I felt what he felt,” he continued, his gaze darting across Elijah's face. "He- it was so much, all- all the noise and lights and...” he trailed off, having trouble voicing his feelings.

Kamski squeezed his hands a little tighter, trying to catch his eyes, hoping to ground.

"It's okay,” he muttered, "You're okay.”

Connor didn't respond. He pulled his shaky hands out of Elijah's grip and moved forward to wrap his arms around the man. He hugged him tightly, burrowing his nose into his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, quiet.

They were fine. They did it.

Nine was alive.

 

* * *

 

It was strange, how the house quietened down after what took place earlier.

They were able to get Nine out of his stupor, eventually, and even though he was still not very talkative, it was clear he was feeling better. Unsure and uneasy, yes, but not nearly as freaked out as he was when first woken up.

He stayed with Sumo for the rest of the day. The dog seemed to be the only thing that could truly keep him calm.

Elijah, Hank and Connor weren't too sure about leaving the android on his own, but as the night came to be, they all had to get their rest. Even Connor was drained, the effects of Nine's distress still taking its toll on him, even hours later.

Elijah was staying the night, as well. They thought about it earlier and when they woke Nine up, it was practically set in stone that he'd stay for the next day. Both to make sure Connor was alright, but also to see how Nine was taking to being a deviant.

As it got darker, they were both in Connor's room, Cole's old room. The android had insisted multiple times he didn't need a bedroom, but Hank would have none of it. And Connor grew to like the space, like the privacy that he had in there.

It was an unspoken agreement, that Connor would go to sleep with Elijah. Neither of them wanted to discuss it. But it was obvious neither of them wanted to be alone.

They were laying in the bed, all lights turned off.

"What are we, Elijah?”

Connor's soft voice cut through the darkness. Elijah wasn't asleep yet and he raised an eyebrow as he heard the question.

"What do you mean?”

The android shuffled under the covers. Noticing that he was laying on his side, Elijah moved as well so that they faced each other. He could barely make out the android's features in the dark, the LED the only thing glowing in the room.

"I mean...” he paused, thinking it over, "We... what are to each other?”

Kamski didn't know how to respond to that.

It was the first time Connor brought up their strange relationship. The first time that he attempted to find a name for it, a name that Elijah didn't have either. He wasn't sure if he wanted to put any labels on it, make it more real and firm. He had never been good with these things.

He sighed softly.

"I don't know, Connor,” he murmured, "I... really don't know.”

"Oh.”

It was clear Connor expected some answers. It was no wonder he was disappointed when he got none.

“I'm not good with... emotions, you know that,” Elijah sighed again, “Or, relationships. I'm not good with those, either.”

“I know, it's- I know you can't-”

“Hey,” Elijah cut in, reaching out to gently touch the side of Connor's face. "It's not- I understand where you're coming from, Connor. I know it's... frustrating. But... emotions are... complicated.”

“I... realize that. I really do. I... cannot fully grasp them, either.”

Elijah nodded slowly. His hand remained on Connor's cheek, his fingers brushing slowly over it.

“I... I've never been so close to anyone else, not in the way I'm close to you. If that... is something you'll take for an answer.”

There was a flash of yellow in the darkness and Elijah felt Connor's hand on his. He swore he could catch a glimpse of the android's faint smile.

“I feel the same way,” he responded quietly, "And it... it means a lot that you have so much trust in me.”

“Yes, I never thought I'd be able to open up to anyone like this. We've known each other for much less time and yet you... know me in the ways only the Chloes do.”

There was a moment of silence before Connor spoke again.

“Is this what...” he trailed off. His voice was so unsure and soft, it could barely be heard.

“Yes?”

"No, it's... it's not important,” Connor decided against voicing the question.

For a moment, Elijah thought about pushing a little, just to get it out of the android. But then he decided against it. Whatever the question was supposed to be, it seemed important, emotional.

He wouldn't be able to answer it.

He felt Connor's hand tighten on his. The android slowly took it off his face though didn't let go of it.

"Can I kiss you?” A whisper.

Eljah was taken aback by it and he hesitated for a moment. Somehow, he should've seen it coming after the conversation that they had. But it still managed to surprised him.

"Yes,” he finally replied, "Yes, of course.”

Connor gave a slight nod and scooted closer to him. There was an air of hesitancy surrounding them. It wouldn't be their first kiss anymore, but that didn't make them any more confident. It was taking them a while to truly get used to the touches, to the physicality of it all.

The android leaned in, until their lips finally touched. For a moment, they remained like that, neither of them moving. Their lips resting against each other. They were learning each other, feeling it out, step by step. It was Elijah who moved then, putting a bit more pressure.

It was slow. Languid.

They didn't pull away from each other as quickly as they did the first time, but they kept the tentative pace.

Holding hands, quiet, with soft breaths leaving Elijah's mouth, they kissed in the darkness. Once they began, they felt much more comfortable with it.

Elijah felt asleep like that, with their faces still lingering close. Connor opened his eyes, took in the sight in front of him. The calmness that seemed to wash over Elijah when he was asleep.

Finally at peace, he entered the sleep mode.

He knew what he felt and he knew what Elijah felt for him. He was finally confident in those feelings, even if they didn't manage to say it out loud.

_As long as they were together, he was happy._

 


End file.
